A Nigerian government panel repudiated media claims that it held an “unidentified spiritual snake” responsible for eating $100,000 in public funds, reportedly conceding that “criminality and fraud” at the hands of one its staff members are to blame for the missing money.

Franklin Benjamin, a spokesman for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), did note that the alleged thief, identified as Philomina Chiesh, accused a “spiritual snake” of ingesting the funds, adding, “Of course, the management did not believe the story.

“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB on Monday dispelled a report that went viral that a snake swallowed N36 million [about $100,000] belonging to the board in one of its numerous offices.

Referring to the alleged thief, Benjamin reportedly said, “There are procedures in the civil service, so the whole thing is still under investigation.

“Corruption is an epidemic [in] this country,” one social media user in Nigeria reportedly Tweeted, according to the country’s Daily Trust newspaper.